CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois men's golf program is set to return to action early next week, as the team prepares to open its 2024 spring schedule that features six regular-season tournaments – plus a marquee exhibition matchup vs. Texas – leading into the 2024 Big Ten and NCAA regional and championship tournaments.
Head coach Mike Small's team is once again coming off of a successful fall campaign with its sights set on maintaining the program's championship standard. The team, currently ranked No. 20 in the NCAA Division-I team rankings, posted a head-to-head record of 38-12-1 in stroke-play events during the fall portion of the schedule, highlighted by a team win at the Sahalee Players Championship.
The Illini also finished in the top 10 against an elite field at the team's OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, before back-to-back top-5 finishes at the Purdue Fall Classic (3rd) and the Dayton Flyer Invitational (2nd). The Illini closed their fall schedule by posting a 1-1-1 mark in match play action at the prestigious Cypress Point Classic.
Individually, the Illini combined for five top-5 finishes. Junior Jackson Buchanan collected two of the team's top-5s, tying for first at the Purdue Fall Classic and finishing T5 at the Sahalee Players Championship, where freshman Max Herendeen finished as runner-up in his collegiate debut. Fifth-year Timmy Crawford joined Buchanan as a tournament winner, playing as an individual competitor to earn the top spot at the Dayton Flyer Invitational, just ahead of sophomore Ryan Voois, who led the Illini's scoring lineup with a T4 showing.
Herendeen (15), Crawford (46) and Buchanan (48) give the Illini three competitors ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA Division-I men's individual rankings, and Illinois enters the spring as one of four programs nationally with three golfers ranked in the top 50.
Illinois closes the month, for the third straight season, with a tough test at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, hosted by UNLV, annually draws a strong field of championship-caliber programs to test themselves on a challenging desert track, with the Illini returning to defend their 2023 win.
The team will then head to the nearby Chechessee Creek Club in Okatie, S.C., for a head-to-head exhibition vs. No. 16 Texas on March 14. The matchup features two of the nation's premier programs, with the Illini and Longhorns having combined for 15 NCAA Match Play appearances – eight for Illinois and seven for Texas – since the NCAA Championship's current format was adopted in 2009.
Two weeks later, March 25-26, the Illini head to the Pacific Northwest to compete in the Duck Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon at Eugene Country Club.
Following play in Augusta, the Orange and Blue return home, where they will close out the regular season with the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate, April 20-21. Now in its second year, the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate allows the Illini to host a top-tier college event at the program's championship-caliber Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois, located just minutes from the team's state-of-the-art on-campus practice facility.
NCAA Regionals are slated for May 13-15 and will be held at one of six sites around the country: The University of Texas Golf Club (Austin, Texas), University Club (Baton Rouge, La.), UNC Finley Golf Course (Chapel Hill, N.C.), The Farms Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.), and Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (West Lafayette, Ind.).
The NCAA National Championship is set for the Championship Course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., May 24-29. Illinois will enter the 2024 postseason in search of the program's 15th NCAA Championship berth in 16 years dating back to 2008.
Tournament dates and times are subject to change. Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois men's golf.
Head coach Mike Small's team is once again coming off of a successful fall campaign with its sights set on maintaining the program's championship standard. The team, currently ranked No. 20 in the NCAA Division-I team rankings, posted a head-to-head record of 38-12-1 in stroke-play events during the fall portion of the schedule, highlighted by a team win at the Sahalee Players Championship.
The Illini also finished in the top 10 against an elite field at the team's OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, before back-to-back top-5 finishes at the Purdue Fall Classic (3rd) and the Dayton Flyer Invitational (2nd). The Illini closed their fall schedule by posting a 1-1-1 mark in match play action at the prestigious Cypress Point Classic.
Individually, the Illini combined for five top-5 finishes. Junior Jackson Buchanan collected two of the team's top-5s, tying for first at the Purdue Fall Classic and finishing T5 at the Sahalee Players Championship, where freshman Max Herendeen finished as runner-up in his collegiate debut. Fifth-year Timmy Crawford joined Buchanan as a tournament winner, playing as an individual competitor to earn the top spot at the Dayton Flyer Invitational, just ahead of sophomore Ryan Voois, who led the Illini's scoring lineup with a T4 showing.
Herendeen (15), Crawford (46) and Buchanan (48) give the Illini three competitors ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA Division-I men's individual rankings, and Illinois enters the spring as one of four programs nationally with three golfers ranked in the top 50.
FEBRUARY
The spring schedule officially opens Feb. 12-13, at the Hal Williams Collegiate, hosted by South Alabama at Magnolia Grove Country Club's Crossings Course in Mobile, Ala. The Illini have competed in the event in each of the last four seasons, securing team wins in 2021 and 2023.Illinois closes the month, for the third straight season, with a tough test at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, hosted by UNLV, annually draws a strong field of championship-caliber programs to test themselves on a challenging desert track, with the Illini returning to defend their 2023 win.
MARCH
As the calendar turns to March, the Illini are set to play a trio of events that are new to the schedule. First, the team heads to scenic St. Simons Island, Ga., where they will tee off at The Johnnie-O at Sea Island, hosted by Big Ten foe Rutgers, March 11-12.The team will then head to the nearby Chechessee Creek Club in Okatie, S.C., for a head-to-head exhibition vs. No. 16 Texas on March 14. The matchup features two of the nation's premier programs, with the Illini and Longhorns having combined for 15 NCAA Match Play appearances – eight for Illinois and seven for Texas – since the NCAA Championship's current format was adopted in 2009.
Two weeks later, March 25-26, the Illini head to the Pacific Northwest to compete in the Duck Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon at Eugene Country Club.
APRIL
April begins with the Illini returning to the epicenter of the golf world, Augusta, Ga., for the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational. The event is hosted by Augusta University at Forest Hills Golf Club – just miles from Augusta National Golf Club – and takes place April 6-7, concluding on the eve of Masters week.Following play in Augusta, the Orange and Blue return home, where they will close out the regular season with the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate, April 20-21. Now in its second year, the Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate allows the Illini to host a top-tier college event at the program's championship-caliber Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois, located just minutes from the team's state-of-the-art on-campus practice facility.
POSTSEASON
The Fighting Illini's 2024 postseason run begins April 26-28 at the Big Ten Championship. The Orange and Blue are in search of their ninth consecutive Big Ten title – and their 14th out of the last 15 dating back to 2009. The 2024 Big Ten Championship will take place at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio.NCAA Regionals are slated for May 13-15 and will be held at one of six sites around the country: The University of Texas Golf Club (Austin, Texas), University Club (Baton Rouge, La.), UNC Finley Golf Course (Chapel Hill, N.C.), The Farms Golf Club (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.), and Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (West Lafayette, Ind.).
The NCAA National Championship is set for the Championship Course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., May 24-29. Illinois will enter the 2024 postseason in search of the program's 15th NCAA Championship berth in 16 years dating back to 2008.
Tournament dates and times are subject to change. Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois men's golf.
